Hebei Province, China

History of Hebei Province

Between 722 - 476 BC, Hebei was ruled by the states of Yan and Jin. During the period of the warring states (403 - 221 BC), the Jin state lost most of its territory in Hebei to the Zhao. Later during the Han Dynasty (206 - 220 AD), the Hebei area was separated into two provinces of Youzhou Province in the north and Jizhou province in the south. At the end of the Han Dynasty, during the Three Kingdoms period, Hebei was mostly under the control of two warlords named Gongsun Zan and Yuan Shao, with Yuan Shao eventually emerging victorious. Yuan Shao was then defeated by Caocao, and Hebei came under the rule of the Kingdom of Wei - one of the three kingdoms established by Caocao. It's not until the reign of the Tang Dynasty (618 - 907) that Hebei was formally recognized.

When the Mongols established the Yuan Dynasty, China was divided into provinces, but Hebei was not established as a province. During the Ming Dynasty, Hebei was designated as "Northern Directly Ruled" because it was directly ruled by Beijing. After the end of the Qing Dynasty there were many civil wars that were fought in Hebei. Eventually, it was named Hebei again.

Hebei Tour Attractions

Hebei has a moderate climate, and there are many interesting places to see and visit.  The eastern end of the great wall, known as Shanhaiguan is located near Qinhuangdao in Hebei. It is also referred to as the "First Pass Under Heaven".

The Chengde Mountain Resort and the surrounding temples was used as the summer resort of the Qing Dynasty emperors (1644 - 1911).  It is also known as the Rehe Palace, which was built between 1703 and 1792. It consists of a palace, several temples known as the "Eight Outer Temples", and large park areas.

In Zunhua city of Hebei Province, there lies the Easter Qing Tombs which is the burial grounds for 161 Qing emperors, empresses, and other important members of the imperial family. In Yixian County, southwest of Beijing, is another group of large imperial tombs known as the "West Qing Tombs, which is burial grounds for 76 members of the Qing imperial family.